Trump Tells African Delegation to Shorten Speeches at Washington Meeting

Former U.S. President Donald Trump signalled impatience during a 9 July meeting with a delegation of African leaders, cutting off Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani after a roughly five-minute address. “Maybe we’re gonna have to go a bit quicker than this, because we have a whole schedule,” Trump said, adding, “If I could just have your name and country it would be great.” The exchange, captured on video, drew criticism on social media from observers who called the remark disrespectful to the visiting heads of state. The gathering was intended to provide the leaders a platform to introduce themselves and outline priorities, but Trump’s request to shorten the remarks abruptly curtailed Ghazouani’s presentation and prompted the other participants to keep their introductions brief.